Entertainment Editor-at-Large, Los Angeles

The cable platform Foxtel has secured the Australian rights to the critically acclaimed US drama House of Cards and will launch all 13 episodes of the series simultaneously, as an on-demand TV offering.

It is the first time an Australian broadcaster has launched a new series by offering every episode at once to viewers in the digital space, outside of its traditional program schedule.

The move replicates the US launch of the series on the internet-delivered TV platform Netflix, which also made all 13 episodes available simultaneously in North America.

The series drew critical acclaim in the US, and provoked a fascinating debate on the changing way viewers consume TV content, and so-called "binge" viewing.

Foxtel's director of television Brian Walsh said the Netflix strategy for House of Cards "recognises the online audience is hungry for content to watch either all at once, or at a time that suits them.

"By offering the complete first season to our own online customers on Foxtel Go and On Demand we are providing Australian audiences an alternative to broadcast viewing and giving them the option to watch the entire series when they like," Mr Walsh said.

The deal for House of Cards is part of a broader spearhead by Foxtel into the "over the top" space; that is, delivering content via broadband.

In the US the name comes from the fact that so-called OTT services effectively step over the top of cable companies and offer their content directly to consumers.

All 13 one-hour episodes of the series will be available online to Foxtel subscribers from Tuesday, May 7 at 8.30pm via either the Foxtel's internet service, Foxtel's set-top box on-demand service, Foxtel on Xbox 360 or the Foxtel Go iPad app.

The series will also premiere on Foxtel’s premium drama channel Showcase and will screen in a weekly timeslot, for viewers who prefer to watch TV the traditional way.

Foxtel is grooming its on-demand service to deliver content in a similar fashion to US subscriber services such as Netflix and Hulu Plus.

Those services have not launched in Australia, although there has been persistent speculation they have long-term plans to launch here.

At a launch in February, Foxtel confirmed there were now 400 movie titles and 1500 television programs available on-demand to its subscribers. Those numbers will increase across 2013, Foxtel said.

The move also plays to one of Foxtel's strengths: digital innovation. Unlike its free-to-air rivals, which have been held back by a combination of factors, including legislative intertia, Foxtel has aggressively pushed its technological offering forward.

In February they unveiled a "reverse EPG" that allows subscribers to dial back 26 hours to watch programs they have missed.

When Netflix launched House of Cards in the US earlier this year, Spacey said the bold launch strategy of offering the entire series on-demand at once reflected the changing way audiences were consuming content.

"We want our audience to be more intrigued and to want to know more," he said.

"It’s the way that audiences are watching TV now. They consume in large chunks. They stay home all weekend and watch three seasons of Breaking Bad. And I think that we are primed to fit in that particular wheelhouse," he said.

House of Cards is a remake of the iconic British drama of the same name. Spacey plays a ruthless US congressman, Francis Underwood. The series also stars Robin Wright, Kate Mara and Corey Stoll.

The series is produced by David Fincher (The Social Network), Beau Willimon (The Ides of March) and Eric Roth (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button).